


A Lucian Rose

by Knight of Flames (beetroot_of_doubt)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A touch of mutual pining, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gardening, Language of Flowers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beetroot_of_doubt/pseuds/Knight%20of%20Flames
Summary: Noctis is concerned that Ignis has been pulling away from him of late, but an encounter in the Citadel’s rose garden helps them both to communicate their feelings via the language of flowers.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60
Collections: FFXV Secret Santa 2020





	A Lucian Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @badwolfcrown on twitter. I do hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it :)

Noctis walked around the Citadel gardens during the all too brief mercy that was his lunch break. Loosening his tie and opening the top button of his shirt, he took advantage of being able to breathe before he was dragged back into more meetings this afternoon. Ignis had heavily encouraged him to dress smartly to interact with those who implemented the will of the King in running the country and so here he was in a suit, and feeling stifled.

Ever since he’d left school and been taking a more active role in the affairs of the country, he seemed to have been in an unending stream of meetings, functions and committees. And when he wasn’t meeting with people, he was reading reports to prepare for those meetings, functions and committees. At least he had Ignis with him almost all of the time whilst he acclimatised to his new workload, offering a supportive touch to his arm or a calm suggestion when things were getting too much for him. He really didn’t know what he’d do without his Advisor.

Noctis sighed, scuffing his shoes in the gravel in his melancholy, taking off the nicely polished shine and coating the toes in dust. Yes, Ignis the Advisor was always helpfully on hand to assist him, but it felt like the more work time they spent together, the more formal and closed off Ignis his friend had become.

The last couple of months they had barely interacted outside of an official capacity, despite Ignis being by his side for almost the whole of the day and often at weekends too. Initially he’d felt bad for him, excusing him more in the evenings so his Advisor could have some time for himself. Noctis had had to insist at first that he could manage without the additional care, but it felt much too soon when Ignis stopped asking if Noctis wanted him to stay.

He worried that his friend must be getting sick of him, enjoying the time away too much to want to give it up. It meant that Noctis’ apartment had been feeling more and more lonely. He had Prompto visiting frequently, and while his best friend’s bubbly energy was great, it wasn’t the quiet, warm intimacy he was used to with his oldest friend. It certainly wasn’t the intimacy he _wanted_ with Ignis.

Before he’d felt the full weight of his Royal responsibilities, Noctis had often found himself staring at Ignis while he was occupied with other things, wondering if his lips were as soft to kiss as they looked, and how wonderful it would be to be held in those arms as he fell asleep, waking to the one he cared most for in the mornings. He’d daydreamed about eventually working up the courage to confess the feelings he’d been keeping inside all this time, hoping that Ignis might feel the same way about him, but that seemed like an impossibility now.

Ignis had disappeared off on some kind of special errand this lunch time, something he did from time to time over the summer months, but he’d never said what it was that he was doing. The perceived rejection hurt a little, so Noctis had tried to meet up with Gladio and Prompto as a distraction, but today they were both busy with their annual Crownsguard physical assessments, leaving him to wander the gardens alone.

“Damn and blast it!”

Noctis was jolted out of his thoughts, quickly looking around. There was only once person in the Citadel that would curse like that. Ignis’ voice had come from behind the high wall of the rose garden, and the gate was ajar. Hurrying over, Noctis peered through the black iron frame to see Ignis was kneeling on a blanket on the grass, facing one of the bushes.

The rose garden itself was a riot of colour and scent, every plant within putting forth flowers to entice the buzzing insects which flitted from bush to bush. It was a warm, sunny day, a light breeze stirring up the scent from the different varieties as he slipped through the gate and made his way over to his Advisor to see if he was alright. Ignis wasn’t normally one for cursing, so something must have distressed him.

“Everything ok there Specs?” Ignis visibly jumped at Noctis’ quiet call. He’d been so absorbed in tending to a rose bush he mustn’t have heard Noctis’ footsteps muffled by the grass.

“Your Highness? I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” His Advisor seemed to stiffen, barely glancing over his shoulder, making Noctis feel like he’d been intruding on something private. Perhaps he should have just left Ignis alone.

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok, but it seems you don’t want me here so I guess I’ll leave you to it.” Noctis said, his tone subdued, heart sinking.

“No! Noct, please stay. You simply surprised me.” He glanced back at the sound of his name, relieved to know that Ignis still felt comfortable using it. That had to count for something, right?

His Advisor had turned towards him, hand outstretched for a moment before he sighed, letting it drop back to his side. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous about something.

“Is this where you’ve been disappearing to? It’s nice.” Noctis gestured around the garden, a place where he’d rarely spent any time. Pale grey stone walls reached up to seven feet high, making the only way to see in from outside was through the gate. Ignis had always preferred places of quiet seclusion when he had time to himself, so Noctis could understand what he found so appealing about the place.

“Yes.” Ignis smiled, and Noctis’ stomach gave a little flip at the sight. “It is peaceful here, tending to the plants.”

“Didn’t sound like it just now.” He couldn’t help a little bit of snark, wanting so badly to fall back into the easy way of talking that they’d been lacking recently.

“Ah, well, something I had been waiting a very long time for has finally happened.” That beautiful smile faded, leaving Ignis looking a little troubled.

“Isn’t that something to be pleased about?”

Something wasn’t adding up here, especially the way that Ignis glanced away, intentionally not answering his question. It was a little unsettling to see his unflappable Advisor seemingly at a loss.

“So, since when do you do gardening?” Noctis asked, trying to lighten the mood again, and hopefully bring back that smile that he loved to see, only now properly noticing his Advisor’s usual leather gloves were laying on the blanket beside him, exchanged for bright red gardening gloves. They looked out of place with his neat suit, but he probably never expected any visitors from the sounds of things.

“You would be surprised.” The cornered of Ignis’ mouth twitched upwards a fraction, sounding wistful, and suddenly all the hurt and loneliness Noctis’ had been feeling rushed to the surface.

“You can tell me if you’re fed up with me Specs. You don’t have to make up excuses or anything.” The words came out more petulant than he’d intended and he immediately regretted saying anything when he watched Ignis’ face fall.

“I am doing nothing of the sort. I’ve been worried about you since you ceased asking me to stay in the evenings. Is that what you really think? That I am tired of your company?” His Advisor’s tone was quiet but he seemed a little shaken.

“I…I was trying to give you some space, but now we’re only together at work and you never asked to spend any more time with me like we used to…” Noctis trailed off, shuffling from foot to foot and swinging his arms nervously at his sides.

“I believed you wanted your own space, but it seems I was wrong. I miss our time together too.” Ignis said softly, giving Noctis a shred of hope.

“You do?” Their gazes met, and Noctis’ stomach felt like it was trying to tie itself into knots.

Clearing his throat, Ignis picked up a pair of clippers and trimmed a bloom from one of the bushes where the flowers were such a deep purple, they looked black.

“Here.” Turning, still on his knees in the grass, Ignis almost shyly offered up a rose which was part way between bud and full bloom, so dark that only a faint corona of purple was visible when he held it up towards the sun.

“A black rose?” Noctis looked puzzled, taking the flower carefully and letting Ignis get to his feet, changing his gloves as he stood.

“That is what I have been doing out here. I’ve been attempting to cultivate one for years, or at least as close as nature will permit. Florists may use ink to dye the petals of white roses…But I would never wish to sully something so pure.” There was an intensity to Ignis’ gaze which made a thrill pass through Noctis’ body. He wasn’t completely sure that his Advisor was exclusively referring to the flowers in his last statement.

“Thanks Ignis, it’s beautiful.” He smiled.

“Yes…” Ignis’ reply was left hanging in the air, almost as if he dearly wished to say more but held himself back. Noctis broke their eye contact, feeling a blush rise in his cheeks. He stared at the rose, tracing a finger gently over the petals to feel their silky texture.

“Flowers have meanings, don’t they?” Ignis nodded, his eyes dropping to the bloom held in the Prince’s fingers.

“What does a black rose mean?” Ignis remained quiet, his tension in his jaw turning his lips into a thin line instead of the usual, soft looking plumpness the Prince was used to seeing.

“It’s alright if you don’t know, y’know. You can’t know everything Specs.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly typing in the question one handed, not noticing the way Ignis’ eyes widened with fear.

“Noct, there’s no need…” Ignis began, trying to reach out for the phone but the Prince skipped a couple of steps backwards to avoid the hand, his Advisor’s reluctance making him more curious.

“See, it says here symbols of death and mourning…rebirth, new beginnings…” Ignis took a step forward, once again reaching for the device, this time one hand lightly grasping the wrist of the hand which held the flower.

“Noct, don’t…” There was a note of pleading in Ignis’s voice.

“Wait, there’s a bit more.” Noctis twisted, his phone held out at arm’s length to try and buy him a few more seconds to read, all while Ignis was pressing closer, one foot positioned between the Prince’s, almost leaning across him but without their bodies quite making contact.

“Depending on the person, they represent the utmost devotion and tragic…love…” He trailed off, ceasing his resistance as Ignis grabbed his phone, leather covered fingers wrapping around his own. Noctis glanced between the rose he held and the face of his oldest friend, noticing just how close Ignis was to him now. Could this mean what he hoped it meant?

“Flowers are meant to show the giver’s feelings for the receiver, right?” Noctis asked quietly, his pulse racing, hardly daring to raise his voice above a whisper lest it break the spell of the moment. He moistened his lips and couldn’t help but notice the way those green eyes flicked down to his mouth, but Ignis was otherwise frozen in place.

“Specs, do you have feelings for me?”

There. The question was out and there was no taking it back. Silently, Noctis prayed to any Astral that might be listening that he hadn’t just ruined the longest and most precious friendship to him, and instead opened the door to something more.

Ignis stared at him for a few moments, his lips slightly parted and close enough to just lean in and kiss. Noctis reined in the temptation, too scared that Ignis might say no and break his heart. 

Eventually, his Advisor seemed to regain his voice and ability to move.

“I promised myself that I would not say anything until I managed to achieve a bloom perfect enough to be worthy of my Lucian rose.” Ignis’ fingers released Noctis’ wrist, trailing down to pluck the stem from his grasp, leaving a tingling path over his skin.

Soft petals were brushed across Noctis’ lips, the heady aroma of the blossoms and Ignis drawing him in. His heart was in his throat, unable to speak, staring wide-eyed at his Advisor’s sad smile, not quite comprehending what he was hearing.

“But now that day is here…” Ignis looked away, pulling back to straighten up and open up the distance between them again.

“I am sorry Noct. Please, let us never speak of this again, I promise that I shall never let these feelings interfere in my duty.” Ignis tucked the rose into Noctis’ buttonhole and almost reached up to touch his face but curled his fingers back at the last moment, seeming to think better of it before he stepped away, the light reflecting harshly off of his glasses, making it hard to see his eyes as he began to walk towards the gate.

“Wait!” Noctis’ voice returned to him before his Advisor could entirely remove himself from the royal presence, grabbing Ignis’ sleeve. “Specs, just stay put, please, give me a moment.”

Ignis thought his love was tragic, that it would never be returned, but that wasn’t true at all. Noctis glanced around in a panic, risking letting go of his Advisor’s sleeve to bend down and seize the clippers, hurrying over to another rose bush and snipping off a bloom.

“Here!” Blushing hard, he thrust the bright red flower at Ignis who had thankfully not fled the garden as soon as he was free. His Advisor stared at the rose, then up at Noctis’ face.

“Noct, are you sure? You know this means…” Ignis was silenced by Noctis darting in, stretching up onto his toes to place a swift kiss on his parted lips.

“Yeah. Even I know what red roses mean without having to look it up.” His blush must be turning his face a similar shade to the flower, but he couldn’t stop now, not knowing how they both felt.

“I care so much about you Ignis, but I’ve never had the courage…I didn’t think you’d feel that way about me, the same way I feel about you.” Although Noctis wanted to stare at his shoes, the sky, the plants, anything but look into Ignis’ eyes while he confessed his heart, he somehow managed to hold his nerve. He was rewarded by seeing green eyes widen in surprise, gloved fingertips raised to touch the site of their first brief kiss, the rich red rose shaking a little in his Advisor’s other hand.

“Please tell me I haven’t misunderstood.” A cold wash of dread ran down Noctis’ spine as Ignis seemed to remain in shock, silence stretching out.

“Specs? Say something?” He said quietly. If his Advisor stayed silent much longer either his legs would give way or he’d end up bolting from the garden to hide somewhere until he could think of a way to adequately apologise.

“You understood me perfectly, Noct.” The hand in front of Ignis’ mouth slowly lowered, revealing the upward curve of his lips as it reached to take one of Noctis’ own hands. “I take this to mean you would be receptive if I were to ask you to go to dinner with me this evening?”

“You mean, a date?” Noctis’ voice came out as a squeak, feeling giddy as Ignis nodded. “Yeah! Yeah I’d love to.” A broad grin broke across his face and he held Ignis’ hand tightly in his own.

Hesitantly, Ignis dipped his head, gaze flicking between Noctis’ eyes and lips as their faces came closer. The Prince closed his eyes and pursed his lips, waiting for that sweet contact. He could feel the soft puffs of air of Ignis’ breath, skin tingling with the proximity…

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

An alarm sounded from Ignis’ pocket, the suddenness of it making Noctis jump, and he almost headbutted Ignis in the face.

“What’s that?” He asked, nerves shot and feeling more than a little grumpy at the interruption which broke the moment.

“When out here, I always set a ten-minute reminder so that I am not late for my next appointment.” Ignis chuckled at the Prince’s pout of displeasure. “Unfortunately, anything more on this topic will have to wait until this evening.”

“Oh, okay.” It was disappointing. If he had his way, they’d both take a few days off to become acquainted with this new aspect of their relationship, but of course, duty to the kingdom came first.

Ignis slipped the red rose into his own buttonhole before he busied himself with tidying up Noctis’ appearance, closing his open shirt buttons and straightening his tie. He finished his actions off by darting in to brush his lips against Noctis’ cheek, both of them blushing in delight.

“Shall we?” Ignis asked, holding out a hand for Noctis to take.

Smiling, the Prince linked their fingers and the pair walked together back towards the citadel, leaving the rose garden quiet once more.

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write something involving the language of flowers for a while now and this prompt gave me the perfect excuse ^^
> 
> Thank you for reading <3
> 
> Twitter: [@flames_knight](https://twitter.com/flames_knight)


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